Motion and Transportation

Unmanned boat !An unmanned boat with sail in the wind seemed a little bit too dangerous. So the stamp was redesigned, this time with a sailor in the boat(FIJI - 1938)

Wrong shipBy mistake, the S.Y. THE MORNING was pictured on this stamp instead of the S.Y. NIMROD. A new stamp was issued, with the same name, but this time with the correct ship.(AUSTRALIAN ANTARTIC TERRITORIES - 1980)

Dangerous shipThe merchant ship S.S. Rodina is pictured in open sea, with its derricks still up. They should of course have been lowered and lashed before leaving the harbour.(BULGARIA - 1947)

Sailship in storm.During a storm (look at the waves), the big sails of a ship are never hoisted.(POLAND - 1925)

Big ship Why did Colombus trip to America take weeks, as his ship covers the whole distance between the two continents.(PANAMA - )

Opposite windsSail and flag are blown by the wind in different directions(DENMARK - 1937)

Wrong nameA pennant on Fultons steamboat on the Hudson river gives it the name of CLERMONT. In fact it was simply registered as North River Steamboat of Claremont, and had no name. (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 1909)

Incorrect numberStamp featuring the aircraft carrier FORRESTAL with deck number 88, which is not correct.(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 1957)

Wrong designThe Dorchester sunk with the stem first, not with the stern as depicted on this commemorative stamp.(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 1948)

Interesting detailStamp featuring the US Fregate OLD IRONSIDES. A careful inspection reveals that the 2 flanking canons bear the British Royal Cypher GR(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 1947)

Wrong side !Stamp picturing the Destroyer Reuben James sunk by a German submarine … seen from a periscope which experts say never was on a German submarine, but belongs to an Allied ship !(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 1991)

Fantome ship.Ship navigating under full sail, but no crew is visible !(BARBADOS - 1953)

Wrong representationWhen the ship of T. Heyerdahl arrived at Barbados, it was highly damaged, and the central mast and sail had disappeared(BARBADOS - 1986)

Forgotten mastThis huge sail is not sustained by a mast.(ESTONIA - 1919)

Incertain wind.Wind blows the sails and the flag in different directions.(GHANA - 1957)

Big troubleThis ship is about to run in serious trouble : the bow wave shows that she is proceeding upstream to enter the lock, but the door is still closed and the water level in the lock is still high.(LUXEMBOURG - 1964)

Wrong nameThe lake steamer CHAUNCY MAPLES had his name wrongly spelled as CHAUNCEY MAPLES. The name however was given correctly on a sheet(MALAWI - 1975)

Steerless.The design of this stamp was slightly adapted, as in the first design, nobody was streering the boat.(MALAYA - 1960)

Impossible shield.A viking ship protected by shields on see ? Impossible for the rowers to do their job.(ISLE OF MAN - )

Missing detail.The whale that is about to be harponed, has a good chance of getting away, as there is no rope attatched to the harpoon.(NEW ZEALAND - 1956)

Wrong directionThe wind in the sails goes in the opposite direction of the smoke from the chimney(SWITZERLAND - 1978)

Sun at nightThe man on the Nautilus' deck is busy taking the altitude of the sun ....in the moon light.(FRANCE - 1955)

Full speedShip 'Constitutionen' is navigating at full speed inside Arendal harbour. At this speed, she will not be able to stop in time and will crash into the quay.(NORWAY - 1977)

Wrong directionThe position of the fishing lines shows that the boat is moving backwards.(ANTIGUA - 1976)

Wrong nameWrong : HANNA - Correct : HANNAH(MALAGASY - 1975)

Wrong denominationThe PS Canberra and the PS Murray River Queen are not steamships, but equipped with diesel engines.(AUSTRALIA - 1979)

High speedA jetfoil cannot reach high speeds near the coastline, and thus cannot plane above the water surface.(AUSTRALIA - 1979)

Different windsSails and flags are not flying in the same direction.(GABON - 1968)

Dangerous positionThere are no seats in a canoé, the occcupants are seated on the bottom. (CANADA - 1957)

Missing flagThe Chilean flag was forgotten on this stamp. This was corrected bu the issue of a new stamp with another value.(CHILE - 1978)

Missing ropeThe most important rope to maintain the sails is missing.(BAHRAIN - 1987)

Missing ropeThe most important rope to maintain the sails is missing. Correct on the other stamp.(BAHRAIN - 1967)

Missing ropeThe most important rope to maintain the sails is missing. Correct on the other stamp.(BAHRAIN - 1987)

Error in nameIn 1870, the Robert E. Lee won a famed steamboat race against the Natchez, going from St. Louis, Missouri to New Orleans, NATCHEZ is written NATCHES on the stamp.(BHUTAN - 1989)

Twin shipsFishery race between the Bluenose and the Columbia. As there was no illlustration available for the Columbia, the Bluenose stood model for the 2 vessels. And the winner had n° 1 in his sails, not 2.(CANADA - 1929)

Wrong nameThe name of this ship was MATHEW or MATHEWE, she was never called MATTHEW.(CANADA - 1949)

Wrong nameThe exact name of this ship is HMS IMPERIEUSE, not HMS IMPERIOUS.(CHRISTMAS ISLANDS - 1973)

For decorationTitanic with four smoking funnels, anly three were in use, the foutrh one was fake.(JERSEY - 2012)

Wrong type of shipThe 90-gun warship shown on a stamp issued in 1951 to mark the 250th anniversary of the Naval Officers' College is out of place, as Danmark had no such warships in 1701.(DENMARK - 1951)

Wrong shipIn the catalogues this stamp is described as 'Cruiser Ingolf'. This is not correct. as the real Ingolf can be seen on a stamp from 1909.(DANISH WEST INDIES - 1905)

Opposite directionsThe flag and sails are pushed by the wind in opposite directions.(DANTZIG - 1921)

Wrong représentationStamp showing the ship Admiral Graf Spee during the second war. However the ship is featured as it was before being rebuilt in 1939 (the searchlights were removed).(FALKLAND ISLANDS - 1974)

Very slowThis canoe is supposed to come forward in the picture, but this is not visible on the water.(FIJI - 1938)

Never completedThe Clémenceau was never completed. He was bombed and destroyed when he was still under construction.(FRANCE - 1939)

Wrong shipThis battleship is not La Capricieuse, the stamp was made from a design of another ship, La Galathée.(FRANCE - 1955)

Six or seven ?The Kaizer's yacht, the Hohenzollern, with seven davits for three lifeboats on the small design, but correcty six on the larger stamp of the same series.(GERMAN COLONIES - 1918)

Inverted signThe seeman is signalling a letter that cannot be found in the flagbooks. In mirror however, it suddently stands for a I or 9.(GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC - 1962)

Missing partsThe aerials were omitted on the stamp.(FINLAND - 1929)

Wrong shipThis Hessund bridge is connectiong two islands. The boat featured on the stamp is the M/S Roine, whitch never operated at sea, only on lakes.(FINLAND - 1963)

Two différencesThe owner's flag was not triangular but had a square shape. And a white line was painted all along the ship.(GERMANY - 1977)

Not the sameThe H.M.S. Royalist had only five, and not eight gunports at each side, and a low almost invisible funnel.(GILBERT AND ELLICE ISLANDS - 1967)

Missing crewWith full sails in open sea, without crew !(GUINEA BISSAU - 1988)

ImpossibleThe Vikings could not have sailed with their shields hanging outside, they would have fallen off or hindered the rowing. Correct on other stamp.(ISLE OF MAN - 1974)

Without crewSailing ship with deployed sails, without any visible crew.(PITCAIRN ISLANDS - 1964)

Too much smokeThe Dominion Monarch had one false funnel, on the stamp however, smoke is coming out of both.(NEW ZEALAND - 1946)

Wrong sideThe rugboat going upstream on the Rhine is breaking the regulations by being on the left side instead of the right of the river.(RHEINLAND PFALZ - 1947)

Wrong skylineLower Manhattan skyline appears to have been put onto Staten Island : de designer of the stamp took a postcard showing the arrival of the Kronprinz Wilhelm on her maiden voyage 23rd Feb 1902, and added wrongly the Manhattan skyline.(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 1912)

Opposite directionsThe flag points in the opposite direction of the smoke of the steamship.(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 1922)

Wrong locationThis is not the representation of a lock on the Ohio River, but was taken from a photo of 1920 which showw the Carneige Steel Company's sternwheeler, H.D. Williams in a lock on the Monongahela River.(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 1929)

StrangeWith full sails and no visible crew, so cloge to the border, is at least unusual.(FRANCE - )

Not the firstThe first ship crossing the Atlantic entirely under steam was the Royal William in 1833. The Savannah had also sails, and in fact steamed for only eight hours.(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 1944)

AnachronismCommemoration of the landing of the immigrants in 1840 from the barques Tory and Cuba, and the ship Aurora. The ships are illustrated with double topsails, which did not come into use until 1855.(NEW ZEALAND - 1940)

Wrong ship, wrong yearStamp showing the Koenigsberg at Aldabra in 1915. However the ship that was portrayed is in fact the Koenigsberg II, and the date should have been 1914, not 1915.(SEYCHELLES - 1969)

Additional mastThe British settlers arrived in Natal on the two masted ship, the WANDERER. On the stamp a third mast was added.(SOUTH AFRICA - 1949)

Better knot.As this was not a proferssional way to attach a boat, a new stamp was issued, but this time the boat was attached with a good fisherman's knot(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 1993)

Complicated windsThere is no coordination between the wind in the sails and in the flags.(SWEDEN - 1936)

DangerousQuite a dangerous position : standing in a boat while passing rapids !(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 1969)

Still sailingShip still sailing with full sails, too close to the shore. How could a part of the crew haver left the boat ?(COOK ISLANDS - )

Mixed upThe names on the ships were mixed up : the Zuiderman is the Star Princess, and the Star Princess is the Zuiderman.(URUGUAY - 2006)

Opposite windsFlag and sails in opposite directions.(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 1893)